Succeed! Oh knoes! Snowflakes, we need federal money now!
Texans talk tough, until it snows
We went through the exact same thing in 2011 with a deep freeze and extended blackouts. And they never ensured that the infrastructure we needed to meet the demands of 200,000 people a year moving to north Texas got built.
Instead, they built expensive windmills that freeze up when it is freezing and have extensive conservation ad campaigns ... while refusing to expand the nuclear plant in east Texas or build more natural gas plants though we produce natural gas in DFW.
A Texas heat wave in August 2019 provides a good example of how renewables can distort electricity grid operations. In the prior ten years, wind capacity had grown from 10% to 26% of capacity in the Texas power market (ERCOT).[x] The low marginal cost of subsidized wind power depressed market prices for electricity to the point where over 5,000 MW of conventional generation chose to retire in 2018 rather than continue losing money. With electricity demand reaching record levels, these retirements combined with an unpredicted drop in wind generation to force ERCOT to enact emergency procedures to avoid blackouts. Although blackouts were avoided, electricity prices that were under $20 per MWh in the morning of August 13, 2019 rose to $9,000 per MWh in the afternoon.[xi]
It’s Time to End Subsidies for Renewable Energy
https://www.americaspower.org/its-time-to-end-subsidies-for-renewable-energy/
I will read it and then comment afterwards, but the readership of “Texas Monthly” tends to be land developers, real estate agents, bankers, lawyers, and other virtue signaling Tesla driving types so I am fairly confident it will be yet another propaganda piece to allow Federal “high paying union job” types to destroy Texas for the good of the planet ...
” When ERCOT does planning for winter, they only really count on 10 percent of wind turbine capacity being available. We’re already not relying on it very heavily to be there. “
Gives the lie that this has anything to do with wind power.
It’s sheer incompetence.
Bad winter ice storms are a fixture in Texas. Always have been. Before this organization and renewable energy, this never happened. In the past, the only time the power went out was when lines were physically damaged by ice, or a tornado tore lines down. This is at the feet of windmills, and the organization running the grid. All of it was installed by the Republicans who have held solid power the last 25 years in Texas. Bush, Perry, Abbott.
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So it seems the windmills are not effective during the best of times. I think this was just a disaster that was beyond any anticipation. What it tells me is I need to start saving for a generator and need one of those emergency food packs. The preppers of the world made it through just fine.
“hunkered down in their homes watching pipes burst...”
There’s no reason for having pipes burst — most snow-country home-owners would know enough to drain the lines, in those conditions.
ERCOT is an independent, they can’t obtain but a small amount of power from the eastern and Mexican grids. They wanted to be independent, well, they are. They relied too heavily of wind even after building their wind farms without de-icers like those in the north have. Texas got what it set itself up to get by deliberate choices made in the past.
The ol' false analogy scam. Compare making decisions for a better power grid to making decisions to build a perfect car.
Taking a nuke plant offline for repairs in February was not a good decision. Late March or April (or last October) would be better. Keeping existing plans operational especially in the critical winter and summer months is a good decision. And there are likely other decisions that don't involve paying for and building enough power plants to give 150% coverage for the next Ice Age.
Another good reason to keep an old pile of junk tires and pallets around....to keep you warm!
We made the mistake of appeasing the liberals/Democrats.
Now, reality raises up.
I wonder if Hunter Biden was considered as a board member of ERCOT?
Ask the managers who do not live in Texas!
Regardless of the cause there will be political consequences to this. GOPs better get on the ball to fix this problem.
Very informative article!
Thanks for sharing!
totally unnecessary for those willing to take action.
Are there no shutoff valves and drains. Ways to siphon or pump turlet bowls?
“...who was also frozen out of his South Austin home and had temporarily relocated to a warm location in Dripping Springs”
Sometimes you just can’t make this stuff up...
They SCOFFED at me for warning people about Y2k and to make sure they had a generator and a way to stay warm. Apparently I was 21 years ahead of the curve!
Hang in there Texans!
“Could It Have Been Prevented?”
Now that is a really stupid question. Ignorance, and Progressive ideas led to this disaster.